WASHINGTON, D.C. – Georgetown scored two goals in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie with less than two minutes left, including a pair of shots with 11 seconds remaining, but it was not enough as the 18th-ranked Hoyas fell to No. 16 Loyola, 8-7, in front of 743 fans at the Multi-Sport Field on a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon.

The loss ends the Hoyas two-game win streak as the Blue and Gray fall to 5-6 overall and 1-3 in the ECAC League, while the Greyhounds improve to 7-4 overall and 4-1 in the league.

Loyola scored three-straight goals over a six-minute span between the third and fourth quarter, taking a 7-4 lead on a goal from Cooper MacDonnell with 12:09 left in the game.

Georgetown responded and pulled to within a goal, 7-6, in the final six minutes. Junior Craig Dowd (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) went one-on-one with a Loyola defender and scored as he fell to the ground with 6:19 left in the game, making it 7-5. Junior Chris Nixon (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) forced a turnover with 4:13 left and after the clear, senior Dan D'Agnes (Manhasset, N.Y./Chaminade) drove the right win and scored on the run, pulling Georgetown to within 7-6 with 3:50 to play.

The Greyhounds, however, pushed the lead back to two goals, 8-6, when MacDonnell scored his fifth goal of the game with 3:32 to play. The Hoya defense came up big again and forced another turnover – one of 29 Loyola had on the day – this one from senior Stevie Bauer (Red Bank, N.J./Peddie School. Junior Andrew Brancaccio (Bethesda, Md./Georgetown Prep) scored from the right win, making it 8-7 with 2:17 left in the game.

Loyola's John Schiavone won the ensuing face-off – the last of 13 wins in 19 attempts on the day – but the Greyhounds turned the ball over with two minutes on the clock. The Hoyas gave the ball back with 1:44 left, but Bauer caused another turnover with 1:05 remaining, giving the Hoyas a shot to tie the game. With 16 seconds left, a shot from junior Scott Kocis (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) was saved by Loyola goalie Jake Hagelin and another shot from Brancaccio, this one as the clock expired, was saved.

Georgetown led 2-1 at halftime and extended its lead to two goals when Brancaccio made a move at the top zone and scored from 15 yards out. Loyola, however, caught fire and scored three goals in a span of 2:45, taking a 4-3 lead on a goal from Cooper MacDonnell with 6:02 to play in the third quarter. The Hoyas tied the game a minute later, when Brancaccio made a move from the top of the zone again and beat Loyola goalie Jake Hagelin in the top left corner. The Greyhounds took the lead back again with 2:27 left in the third quarter when MacDonnell scored

After a scoreless first quarter, Loyola got on the board two minutes into the second quarter when MacDonnell fed Jake Wilcox for a goal. Georgetown tied the game at 1-all with 8:35 to play when Kocis picked up a deflected shot and ripped a shot past Hagelin to the top left corner.

The teams went back and forth over the next four minutes, but neither could muster a goal until the final five minutes before the half. Hoya junior defender Barney Ehrmann (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) intercepted a pass near midfield and after a good clear, Dowd found freshman Zack Angel (Park Hall, Md./St. Mary Ryken) streaking down the middle of the zone with 4:38 to play before the half.

Brancaccio finished the game with three goals to lead the Hoyas, while Dowd added a goal and an assist.

Georgetown out-shot Loyola, 38-24, while the Greyhounds had 39 ground balls to GU's 35 and the visitors won 13-of-19 face-off attempts.

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2009-04-11